Signaling apparatus.



No. 897,866. PATBAITED SEPT. s, 1908. F. ATWOOD. SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 897,866. PATENTED SEPT. 8, 1908. 'G. F. ATWOOD.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED SEPT. s, 1908. G. F. ATWOOD. SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION rum) FEB. 26, 1906.

' a SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A W A '5,

mumnmumHA AIIHu UNITED STATES PATENT onrion.

GEORGE F. ATWOOD, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF'ILLINOIS.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. ATwooD, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical signaling apparatus, and more particularly to a telephone set adapted to be used under conditions where it is exposed in a greater degree than usual to sources of trouble.

The telephone set of my invention is designed more particularly to be used in places where an ordinarytelephone set would be rendered inoperative, or its operation'interfered with, by the entrance to its working parts of insects and the like, and by trouble occasioned by rain and atmospheric disturbances, and my object is to provide a set which shall combine efliciency and ease of operation with a thorough protection of its working parts from the sources of trouble mentioned above. The novel features by means of which this object is attained are described in the following specification and defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a telephone set embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the set with the door open, a portion of the door'being broken away; Fig. 3 is a side elevation in section and Fig. 4 is a detail of one side of the set showing one of the switches.

The telephone set illustrated in the accompanying drawings is what is commonly known as a wall set, and comprises a rectangular frame 1 secured to a back board 2 preferably of somewhat larger dimensions so asv escutcheon that it is loosely held therein af- I escutcheon if desired. This is accomplished by providing the thumb screw with an enlarged externally screw-threaded head 9 connected with the winged portion of the screw by aspindle of reduced diameter which passes freely through the escutcheon. The central perforation of the escutcheon is constricted at its forward end, to prevent the direct passage of the enlarged end of'the thumb-screw therethrough but this constricted portion 10 is internally screw-threaded to correspond with the external thread of the enlarged end so that, if desired, the thumb-screw may readily be withdrawn from and replaced in its escutcheon.

The ed es of the case which constitute a seat for t e door when closed are provided or grating 14 of coarser mesh and of heavier wire to furnish mechanical protection for the first mentioned screen, the two being held securely in position by means of a metallic rim or frame 15 fastened to the door by a number of screws as shown.- v I Within the case are mounted the various pieces of apparatus which go to make up the telephone set. The character of this apparatus may be varied to meet the different requirements of service. In the present instance, it comprises a generator 16 of telephone ringing current mounted upon a shelf or partition 17 extending across the inside of the case somewhat below the middle thereof, as shown, a local battery 36 of two dry cells held in the lower compartment of the case by means of a clamping yoke 18 screwed to a plate mounted on the rear wall of the case, a condenser 19 secured by means of a strap to the rear wall of the case immediately above the generator in the upper compartment, an induction coil 20 mounted above the condenser, a switch 21 having an operating shaft 22 extending through an escutcheon to the outside of the case, where it is provided with an operating handle or lever 23, a telephone switch 24 secured to the door of the case and having its switch members in position to be actuated by a telephone hook 25, and a bell or ringer 26 also mounted upon the inside of the door-with its gongs in proximity to the screened opening 12 in the upper portion of the door. I

The generator, condenser, induction coil, telephone bell and batteries are of a familiar type, and do not require any detailed description. In order to permit the operation of the generator from the outside ofthe case, while preventing the entrance of moisture and insects, a stulIing box 27 comprising in the present instance a washer and an annular esetftcheon with a felt ring between them, as shown, is provided for the generator shaft where it passes through the Wall of the case. The telephone switch-hook 25 comprises a long lever arm with a hook at its end designed to support the telephone instrument, which may be a combined transmitter and receiver of a well known type, secured to a shaft 28 which passes through the cylindrical extension of escutcheon 29 into the interior of the case, where it has secured tb it a short lever arm or extension 30 the end of which is arranged to engage the switch members of the switch. The short leverv arm or extension 30 is normally forced against the contact members of the switch by means of a helical extension spring 31 having one end secured to the short lever arm and the other to an abutment fastened to the inside of the door. When the telephone instrument is placed upon the hook, the short lever arm is with drawn from the contact members of the switch permitting them to assume their alternative position. The movement of the telephone hook may be limited by two stops carried upon the face of the escutcheon as shown. The switch 21 mounted on one of the side walls of the case, is operated by means of a cam carried on a shaft 22 journaled in the cylindrical extension of an escutcheon 32 that asses through the wall, the outer end of the sliaft being rovided with an operating handle orlever w rich is arranged to be moved between two pins 33 that serve as positive limit stops, and two friction steps 34, one associated with each pin, to hold the lever at either end of its throw.

The various pieces of apparatus of the telephone set are connected with each other and with the binding posts 3 on the outside of the case by means of appropriate wirin not shown. The portion of this wiring that is carried external to the case on the back board is covered and protected by a panel 35 coinciding in its dimensions with the back board, and in effect forming part thereof.

When it is desired to establish telephonic communication by means of the tele )hone set of my invention, the distant station is signaled by turning the crank of the generator, and upon removing the telephone i11- strument from the hook 25 the telephone switch operates automatically to complete the required connections. The circuit of the particular arrangement shown is such that current for the operation of the transmitter is normally supplied over the line wires; but if, for any reason, this'cu-rrent should be interfered with or out off, the user, by moving the operating handle 23 of switch 21 from its right hand, or normalfto its left hand position, may connect the local batteries 36 in circuit and thus guard against an interruption of communication.

When the attendant at thepoint having the telephone set ofvmy invention is to be signaled, this may be accomplished by sending a current over the line to ring the bell 26, the sound of which readily passes through the screened opening 12 and is responded to by the attendant. Interference with the operation of the apparatus by the entrance of in sects thereto is prevented by the screen across the opening 12, the felt facing on the door seat, the stuffing box surrounding the generator shaft, and the arrangement by which the switches in the inside of the case are actuated from the outside by, means of shafts.

I claim:

1. In a telephone set, the combination with an inclosing case provided with a door having an opening therein, of a gasket interposed between said door and the case, a screen or grating secured across said opening, a telephone bell mounted on the door with its gongs in proximity to said opening, a tele-. phone switch and switch hook alsomounted upon said door, a shaft extending through the door and connecting the switch with the switch hook, a generator mounted within said case and having a shaft extending through the wall to the exterior thereof, a stufiing box surrounding said shaft, a circuit changing switch mounted on the interior of said case, a shaft extending from the switch through the wall of the case to the exterior thereof, and an actuating handle secured to the outer end of said shaft.

2'. In a telephone set, the combination with an inclosing case provided with a door having an opening therein, of a gasket interposed between said door and the case, a screen or grating of line mesh secured across said opening, a heavier screen orgrating also secured across said opening outside of said first mentioned screen, a telephone bell mounted on the door with its gongs in roximity to said 0 ening, a telephone switc 1 and switch hook a so mounted upon said door, a shaft extending through the door and connecting the switch with the switch hook, a generator mounted within said case and having a shaft extending through the wall to the exterior thereof, a stuffing box surroundin said shaft, a-circuit changing switch mounte on the interior of said case, a shaft extending from the switch through the wall of the case to the exterior thereof, and an actuating handle secured to the outer end of said shaft.

3. In a telephone set having a closed apparatus box provided with a closely fitting door having an opening therein, said opening being protected by a screen or grating of 'fine mesh, a telephone bell mounted within the box with its gongs in proximity to said opening, a telephone switch also mounted on the inside of the door and a switch hook mounted on the outside thereof on a shaft which extends through the door and is oscillated by the switch hook to operate the switch, a generator Within the case having a shaft extending through the wall to the exterior thereof, an operating handle secured to said shaft, a circuit changing switch mounted on the interior of the case, a shaft extending from said switch through the wall of the case to the exterior thereof, and an actuating handle secured to the outer end of said shaft.

4. In a telephone set having a'closed apparatus box provided with a closely fitting door having an opening therein, said opening being protected by an inner screen of fine mesh and an outer screen or grating of heavy mesh, a telephone bell mounted. on the door with its gongs in proximity to said 0 ening, a telephone switch also mounted on t e inside of the door and a switch hook mounted on the outside thereof on a shaft which extends through the door and is oscillated by the switch hook to operate the switch, a generator within the case having a shaft extending through the wall to the exterior thereof, an operating handle secured to said shaft, a circuit changing switch mounted on the interior of the case, a shaft extending from said switch through the wall of the case to the exterior thereof, and an actuating hand e se cured to the outer end of said shaft.

5. In a telephone set having a closed apparatus case provided with a closely fitting closure, said case having an opening protected by a screen of fine mesh and a screen of heav-' ier and stouter mesh outside said first mentioned screen, a telephone bell mounted within the case with its gongs in proximity to said opening, a telephone switc within the case and a switch hook mounted on the out side thereof, a shaft whereon said switchhook is mounted extending to the inside and oscillated by the switch hook to operate the switch, a generator within the case having a shaft extending through the wall to the exterior thereof, a stuffing box surrounding said shaft and an operating handle secured to the same, a circuit changing switch mounted on the interior of said case, a shaft extending from the switch through the wall of the case to the exterior thereof, and an actuating handle secured to the outer end of said shaft. GEORGE F. ATWOOD. Witnesses:

WM. D. VANDERBILT, E. J. Fnosr. 

